Adjustable rail fastener design with tapered key and channel members

ABSTRACT

A readjustable rail fastener includes a channel member fixed in a rigid roadbed, a tapered key member inserted within the channel member, and a rail support member positioned above the key member. The rail is clamped to the rail support member, and after it is positioned in its proper location by means of a jig, it is fixed in position by concrete poured between the three members. The rail is readily relocated by breaking the key member loose, knocking away the old potting concrete, replacing the key member, positioning the rail in its new location, and pouring fresh potting concrete.

United States Patent Berks et al.

[ 51 May 16, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE RAIL FASTENER DESIGN WITH TAPERED KEY AND CHANNEL MEMBERS [72] Inventors: William I. Berks, Manhattan Beach;

Webster D. Smith, Lomita, both of Calif.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/ 1 924 Thomas ..238/93 Prater ..238/283 1,293,598 2/1919 Wilson ..238/84 3,432,098 3/1919 Sato 238/283 3,549,090 12/1970 Toyama... ..238/28l 2,556,622 6/1951 Koch .2381] 07 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-Daniel T. Anderson, Jerry A. Dinardo and Donald R. Nyhagen [57] ABSTRACT A readjustable rail fastener includes a channel member fixed in a rigid roadbed, a tapered key member inserted within the channel member, and a rail support member positioned above the key member. The rail is clamped to the rail support member, and after it is positioned in its proper location by means of a jig, it is fixed in position by concrete poured between the three members. The rail is readily relocated by breaking the key member loose, knocking away the old potting concrete, replacing the key member, positioning the rail in its new location, and pouring fresh potting concrete.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented May 16, 1972 3,662,952

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 52 l' '1 O Q P I 24 I 52 Fig. 4.

William I. Berks,

Webster D. Smith,

INVENTORS.

zwi'a. Z/M

AGENT Patented May 16, 1972 7 3,662,952

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3.

William I. Berks,

Webster D. Smith,

INVENTORS.

AGENT ADJUSTABLE RAIL FASTEN ER DESIGN WITH TAPERED KEY AND CHANNEL MEMBERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l Field of the Invention This invention relates to the construction of railway tracks, and more particularly to an adjustable support means for positioning a rail both vertically and laterally on a roadbed.

2. Description of the Prior Art High speed trains presently under consideration will be designed to operate at speeds of 200 miles per hour. At such speeds, the dynamics of wheel to rail dictate a smoothness of track not heretofore required or achieved. To achieve such a high degree of smoothness in the track, it has been proposed to mount the rails on a concrete roadbed instead of using the conventional tie on ballast designs, and to position the rails by means of adjustable fasteners. These fasteners will be placed at approximately 30-inch intervals and must be capable of limiting any waviness in the rail to an amplitude of about 0.0078 inches in the 30-inch span. It is necessary that the rail fasteners be capable of adjusting the rail both vertically and laterally within fine tolerances. It is highly desirable that the rail fastener provide easy access from above for an automated adjusting machine which rolls along the rails.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, a readily adjustable rail fastener is provided that permits both vertical and lateral adjustment of the rail within fine tolerances, is easily adapted to mechanized operations, and is capable of rapid disassembly, followed by reassembly in the readjusted rail position.

The rail fastener includes a channel member having inwardly sloping sides joined by an outwardly curved bottom for fixing the member to a rigid roadbed of concrete or the like. A hollow key member formed in the shape of a curved wedge is inserted within the channel member. The key member has outwardly sloping sides that mate with the inwardly sloping sides of the channel member. An inverted dish-like rail support member is positioned within the channel member and spaced above the key member. The rail is clamped to the top of the rail support member.

The rail is adjusted both vertically and laterally, and when its proper position is established, concrete is poured to fill the spaces between the channel, key, and rail support members, thereby potting the members and fixing the rail in position.

Whenever it is desired to readjust the position of the rail, the key member is broken away and removed and the old potting concrete is knocked loose. The key member is replaced, the rail is readjusted, and fresh potting concrete is poured to fix the rail in its new position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the adjustable rail fastener according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plane view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a fixture ing the position of the rail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a concrete roadbed 10, and above the surface of the roadbed 10, a rail 12 is supported by a support structure 14. The support structure 14 is placed at about 30-inch intervals along the length of the track which may comprise one rail 12 of a monorail system or two of the rails 12 of a dual rail system. For ease in illustration, only one rail 12 is shown.

The support structure 14 includes a channel member 16 of rigid material, such as cold rolled steel, embedded in the concrete roadbed 10. The channel member 16 has an outwardly curved bottom 18 joining two oppositely disposed, inwardly sloping sides 20 and an upstanding end wall 22 conuseful in adjustnecting the two sides 20. The channel member 16 is positioned in the roadbed 10 with the top edge 24 of the end wall 22 on a level with the straight edge 26 formed at one extremity of the curved bottom 18, and with both these edges 24 and 26 on a level with the surface of the roadbed 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the channel member 16 is tapered in width from the open end, contiguous with the straight edge 26, to the narrower end wall 22.

In laying the track, a tapered key member 28 is inserted within the channel member 16. The key member 28 has a shape like a curved wedge that is generally the inverse of that of the channel member 16. The key member 28 has a pair of oppositely disposed, outwardly sloping sides 30 joined by a curved top portion 32 that tapers in width in the same direction as the channel member 16. The two sides 30 are similarly tapered in width. Also, the bottom edges 34 of the two sides 30 of the key member 28 have a curvature to match the bottom 18 of the channel member 16. When the key member 28 is inserted through the open end of the channel member 16 and is pushed forward until the tapered end abuts the end wall 22 of the channel member 16, the outwardly slop ing sides 30 mate with the inwardly sloping sides 20 of the channel member 16 to lock the key member 28 within the channel member 16.

For supporting the rail 12, a rail support member 36 is positioned within the confines of the channel member 16 just above the key member 28. The rail 12 is clinched to the top of the support member 36 by means of fingers 38. The rail support member 36 has the form of an inverted dish. A resilient pad 39 of polyvinyl chloride may be inserted between the rail 12 and the rail support member 36 to form a cushion against shock and vibrations. Alternatively or additionally, the rail support member 36 may be coated with resilient material.

The rail or rails 12 may now be adjusted vertically and laterally. For this purpose, a multiplicity of jigs may be used, with one jig preferably located between each pair of successive rail support structures 14. One such jig 40 is shown in FIG. 4. The rail 12 is clamped to the body of the jig 40 by means of a claw-like member 42 cooperating with a screwoperated pivot arm 44. The rail 12 may be adjusted vertically by employing a jack screw 46 to raise or lower the jig 40. To adjust the rail 12 laterally, a wedge block 48 may be inserted between the end wall 22 of the channel member 16 and the rail support member 36, as shown in phantom in FIG. 1. The wedge block 48 is removed after the rail 12 has been properly positioned.

The rail support member 36 and the key member 28 are next potted in the channel member 16 by pouring concrete 49 through holes 50 in the rail support member 36 and also through holes 52 in the key member 28. Sufiicient concrete 49 is poured to fill in the entire spaces between the channel member 16, the key member 28, and the rail support member 36, up to the level of the roadbed. The rail 12 is now rigidly fixed in place in its proper position above the roadbed 10.

When readjustment of the rail 12 becomes necessary, the key member 28 may be removed by grasping the protruding lip 54 thereof in a suitable machine and withdrawing the key member 28. The holes 52 in the key member 28 serve as shear elements to facilitate the separation of the key member 28 and the concrete 49 beneath it from the remainder of the concrete 49 lying above the key member 28. The potting concrete 49 may be quickly knocked loose from the key member 28, the rail support member 36, and the channel member 16. The curvature and taper of the key member 28 and channel member 16 facilitate the removal of the key member 28 and the potting concrete 49. The absence of sharp comers tending to lock in the concrete also makes it a relatively simple matter to remove the old concrete.

The key member 28 is then replaced in the channel member 16 and the procedure for adjusting the rail position and for potting the members 28 and 36 in fresh concrete is carried out in the manner described above. The design of the rail support structure 14 is such as to make the track laying, adjusting, and potting procedures subject to machine operations.

We claim 1. A rail fastener, comprising:

a. a channel member having an outwardly curved bottom and a pair of oppositely disposed inwardly sloping sides joined by a vertical end wall for fixing said member in a rigid roadbed, the end of said channel member opposite said end wall being open to receive a key member, said channel member being tapered in width towards said end wall in a direction transverse to a rail path;

b. a tapered key member wedged within said channel member and having a pair of oppositely disposed outwardly sloping sides mating with the sides of said channel member, said outwardly sloping sides being curved at their lower edges to match the curvature of the bottom of said channel member, said key member having an inwardly curved top portion joining the outwardly sloping sides thereof, the top portion of said key member being formed with a number of perforations of substantial size to function as shear elements when said key member is embedded in concrete;

c. an inverted dish-like rail support member positioned within the confines of said channel member and spaced above said key member, said rail support member having an upper rail-bearing surface provided with means for clamping a rail thereon, said rail support member further having outwardly sloping sides depending therefrom; and

d. cementitious material filling the spaces between all of said members for joining them together and to said roadbed, said cementitious material covering said key member except for a protruding lip portion which can be grasped for withdrawing said key member from said channel member by shearing it from said cementitious material.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the two sides of said key member as well as the top portion thereof are tapered in width.

3. The invention according to claim 1, and further including means forming a resilient pad between the rail bearing surface of said rail support member and a rail positioned thereon.

* i t t 

1. A rail fastener, comprising: a. a channel member having an outwardly curved bottom and a pair of oppositely disposed inwardly sloping sides joined by a vertical end wall for fixing said member in a rigid roadbed, the end of said channel member opposite said end wall being open to receive a key member, said channel member being tapered in width towards said end wall in a direction transverse to a rail path; b. a tapered key member wedged within said channel member and having a pair of oppositely disposed outwardly sloping sides mating with the sides of said channel member, said outwardly sloping sides being curved at their lower edges to match the curvature of the bottom of said channel member, said key member having an inwardly curved top portion joining the outwardly sloping sides thereof, the top portion of said key member being formed with a number of perforations of substantial size to function as shear elements when said key member is embedded in concrete; c. an inverted dish-like rail support member positioned within the confines of said channel member and spaced above said key member, said rail support member having an upper rail-bearing surface provided with means for clamping a rail thereon, said rail support member further having outwardly sloping sides depending therefrom; and d. cementitious material filling the spaces between all of said members for joining them together and to said roadbed, said cementitious material covering said key member except for a protruding lip portion which can be grasped for withdrawing said key member from said channel member by shearing it from said cementitious material.
 2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the two sides of said key member as well as the top portion thereof are tapered in width.
 3. The invention according to claim 1, and further including means forming a resilient pad between the rail bearing surface of said rail support member and a rail positioned thereon. 